A BELGIAN SLAVE RAID.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1917, Page 2

A BELGIAN SLAVE RAID.

EYE-WITNESS'S ACCOUNT. A trustworthy witness of some of the slave raids which took place in a small town of an agricultural province of Belgium gives the following description ot what he saw on one occasion" to tie London Times. More than 25,000 men have already bee.", deported from this province, which • also suffered very severely during the invasion In several villages all the men who were spared during the horrors of the early days uf the war have now been taken away. In X— all the men were obliged to present- themselves in the seicinary, where they were examined by some German officots. I had my watch in u,y hand. The examinations lasted on an average ten seconds for each man All the young ones had to go. without any distinction whatever; so had the skilled workmen, whatever the'ir ago. I saw very old men taken in this war.

■ The anxiety of the -families cannot lie described. From the time when Hie call was received ece.-jthing has done to try to comfort, if possible, the deported in their exile. The women have worked all night in order to prepare some clothes, they have spent their last reserve of money to buy some linen, a pair of boots, and a few provisions! During the procession of the men. lasting from 7 o'clock in the morning til; 1 o'clock in the afternoon, they gathered in the market place awaiting the sentence which will take from them husband or son. They cry, moan, and protest. In order to keep the women away from the buildings where the examinations take place, and to conduct those to be deported to the station, some Uhlans have been specially called back from the front. The men of the Landsturm cannot be trusted for such cruel work, They lack decision, and some of them, work down by long absence from, their homes, 'have grown soft-hearted, ana-are ready to pity those people amongst whom they have lived. They seem to understand that, whatever happens, (heir Germany, the Germany of their small homes, is ruined. I even heard some of them encouraging the Belgians in their resistance, and advising them not to sign an engagement to work for Germany. No such meekness can be feared from the Uhlans. I have seen them at work, and they proved to bo worthy companions of those whose work it was at the beginning of the war to" spread terror among the Flemish and Walloon peasantry. They are in line before the seminary where the human cattle assorted, arid, revolver in hand, they face the women. Even after all we' have heard about German atrocities the scene which occurred there seems scarcely believable, and if I had not seen it "with my own eyes I should certainly have my doubts.

Listen to this, for instance. An old woman 75 years of age was pushing through the crowd in order to see if her son, her husband, or her grandson were among those taken away. A Landsturmer belonging to'the garrison, who knew her, took her gently by the shoulder in order to keep her back. As the old woman went on wailing and tried to free herself a Uhlan came nearer, a big fellow, and deliberately, with all his strength, thrust his fist in the old woman's face. All the surrounding women burst out crying and protesting, but several Uhlans joined their comrade and began to beat- the crowd with the butts of their rifles. The boom of the guns of Verdun could be heard during the whole scene.

When the Germans heard of the Kaiser's peace offer they lit large fires in the village to celebrate the occasion. And the Belgians? These are the words of a mother, talking of her son who is fighting on the Yser: "If he is not to 'orat back to me victorious, I should '.i'efer itnat he should never' come back £,' aw"'.